Before becoming one of the most influential venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, Tim Draper built a career defined by early conviction, independent thinking, and a willingness to back ideas long before they reached mainstream belief. Over decades, Tim has invested in and supported some of the most transformational companies of the modern era, shaping how the world communicates, moves money, explores space, and builds technology. In this conversation, Tim reflects on backing category-defining companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Hotmail, Twitch, and Robinhood, investments that went on to create hundreds of billions of dollars in enterprise value and permanently change global industries. He also shares the impact of Draper University, where thousands of founders have been trained, leading to thousands of companies launched and multiple billion-dollar outcomes. The episode dives deep into Bitcoin and economic freedom, tracing Tim’s early belief in decentralized systems, his experience buying Bitcoin as early as 2011, and why he views it not as a trade but as a long-term technological shift with global implications, especially in a world of inflation, fragile banking systems, and unstable currencies. Follow Tim - X (Twitter): https://x.com/TimDraperFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:DelveDelve uses AI agents to handle SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and more - Divot listeners get $1,500 credits to get started: https://delve.co/deals/divot Timestamps:1:50 — Making a Divot: Entrepreneurs, Impact & Building for the Future4:14 — Entrepreneurs Are Superheroes From Day One5:06 — Mindset Beats Talent: Why Entrepreneurship Can Be Taught6:52 — Real Results: Founders Trained, Companies Built, Unicorns Created8:05 — Risk as Identity: When “Crazy” Becomes Your Advantage10:10 — Be Your Own Media Company: Turning Attention Into Power11:56 — Failure Doesn’t Matter: Why Nobody Remembers Your Mistakes13:30 — Boom and Bust: Who Actually Survives Tech Cycles14:24 — The Cost of Inaction: Missing Facebook, Uber & Airbnb17:21 — Buying Bitcoin at $4: Conviction Before Consensus18:55 — Why Bitcoin Survived: The Unbanked, Remittances & Reality20:54 — Predictions vs Regulation: When the Future Gets Delayed25:43 — Bitcoin vs the Dollar: Inflation, Power & Store of Value32:14 — The SVB Wake-Up Call: When Banks Aren’t Safe36:26 — Independent Thinkers Win: Why the 1% Build Everything41:09 — Fixing Broken Systems: Growth, Markets & California48:24 — Raising Independent Humans, Not Followers50:39 — The Core Belief: You Have Your Own Path52:31 — Measuring a Life by Impact, Not Status Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#TimDraper #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Startups #Investing #BillionDollarCompanies #Bitcoin #EconomicFreedom #Innovation #Founders #Leadership #FutureOfTechnology #DivotPodcast
